Silversea announces new mid-voyage land adventures

Georgina CruzSpecial Correspondent

For cultural travelers who strive to achieve intimacy with far-off places, Fort Lauderdale-based Silversea Cruises has unveiled 19 new mid-voyage land adventures for 2012 (in total the company will offer more than 50 overland excursions next year).

Unlike a partial-day shore tour, these single- or multiple-day inland adventures offer more time to enjoy an interactive and immersive experience with the people, history, wildlife and natural attractions that lie just beyond the ports of call.

Among the new programs is Venture into Amazonia, which invites participants to immerse themselves in the ecological heart of the planet, home to the world's largest collection of birds, freshwater fish and butterflies.

The overland program visits exotic and bustling Manaus surrounded by a lush green wall of jungle and the amazing natural phenomenon of the Meeting of the Waters, the point where the dark-colored waters of the Rio Negro converge with the sandy-colored Solimoes River.

This five-day sojourn, priced at $3,899 per guest, double occupancy, includes two nights at the Amazon Ecopark Jungle Lodge and is offered from Belém on Silver Whisper's Jan. 7 voyage (#4202), sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Rio de Janeiro (a segment of World Cruise 2012).